The latest developments in our micro-world are:
On Friday, as we were driving to Tofu House, she was
enjoying all the terrible pop songs on the radio, asking us to turn it
up loud, and pointing out which one is her singing, which one is her
brother, and his friends, and which one is daddy and i. The music was
soooo terrible, but her imagination made the whole process enjoyable for
all of us.
Then, another item that totally made my weekend: she told us she doesn't want us to be grandma and
grandpa, she wants us to be young forever. We said we are working on
that!
On Saturday we went to see the space shuttle at the science museum. It was very impressive to stand next to the wonderful piece of machinery that just recently was out there, in space. It was much bigger that i expected. And all the little panels were coded with some letter-number combination, which i found really cool. Sara enjoyed riding simulators, i think for the first time in her life she had done that. They were not very vigorous, but she seemed to be amused. After the museum we went to the x-mas tree lighting in Santa Monica, and sorry to say, it was so totally lame. From the bad acoustics, to the brief Santa Clause appearance, to bad singers, to a long wait, to no acrobats due to rain, it was not at all what i had anticipated. Oh, well, you live, you learn. Better luck on picking location next year.
So, now the weekend is over and we are back in the routine. Sometimes routines are good, they make things go smoothly. We pick her up from school, we get home, i finish cooking, she sets the table, we eat, play some more and get ready for bed. Yesterday, as she was setting up the table, Sara told us she would like to have 5 kids. I tried to find out why 5, why not 4 or 3, or 6. Then she said, may be 6. Wow.... At this point i suggested to her that perhaps she should just be a pre-school teacher then, like Miss Patricia, if she would like to be around so many kids. As i didn't get any direct response to that, i think she is considering it. :)
Its the small stuff that makes life full of memories
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Thursday, November 8, 2012
English language and hugs
Sari has been into spelling lately, asking me to spell different words. She usually listens and nods her approval, which indicates that spelling made sense. Then she asked me to spell "cough", i proceeded "C_O_U_G_H" At G she shook her head, at H she raised her brows and said "WHY? why G? why H?" So i proceeded to fumble trying to explain to her this intricacy of the language. I think i wasn't quite ready for this one...
In other news, Sari has been telling me that she will love me when she grows up, and that she will hug me and kiss me when she has a baby and i am a grandmother. Hmmm... comforting?? I was really hoping for some hugs and kisses in a nearer future ;)
In other news, Sari has been telling me that she will love me when she grows up, and that she will hug me and kiss me when she has a baby and i am a grandmother. Hmmm... comforting?? I was really hoping for some hugs and kisses in a nearer future ;)
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
the big questions from the little people
I wish i was better at keeping track. I wish i could take a "snapshot" of every ever-changing moment, especially the moments that relate to Sari. We is growing and maturing so very fast, it seems. May be it seems that way because in our own lives everything has become pretty calm and steady, the week is similar to the previous and the next, the year is filled with fun but repetitive work-play-work-play pattern, and we are not really forming or embarking on anything anymore. But with Sari there is something new each week. It is especially noticeable when she comes back after an extended 'other house' weekend. There were a couple of things that arose lately, i'll try to recall:
New phrase from a couple of weeks back was "I am concerned". She used it correctly, and it pertained to the doll being misplaced. I heard it from the kitchen and had the luxury to let out a giggle.
Another interesting observation: she is curious about everything. When we are listening to the radio, she always asks "what are they talking about?" We try to explain on her level.
A couple of weeks ago, on one fine Saturday, she raised some serious topics. She asked "Are we going to die?" I answered "yes, eventually". She asked "why?" I knew this time she was not speaking of video-game-like temporary condition, but the big philosophical question. She understood the finality of death. I have no idea how it came up. Perhaps someone at school talked about a death of a pet or a loved one, perhaps it was something on the TV at the other house, or a conversation. But this was serious and needed an answer that could be both truthful and age-accessible. I explained that this is nature, we are born, we live, and we die. But it would be a long time from now. She asked "how is it like to die?" I answered that it is just like it is before we are born. She said she was afraid to die, and she didn't want to. We talked about it being something that happens after we live our whole life, and that we yet have many things to do. Daddy joined in talking about nature, and all of the things we all have to do, and how his grandma is still alive, and how we will talk about it more later. I know he talked to her about being born when he was putting her to bed. I imagine he went over all of these things again. But in the morning she was still concerned. After breakfast as her and i were playing in the living room, she asked me again "Are we going to die?". Since by now i already had time to prepare a good answer, i told her "yes, but we can all do something in order to live a longer life. We can do things that help us be healthy, like eating right and exercising, and we can cooperate with other people and help others, and they will help us, and then we will all live longer". This was my big anti-war speech, on the 4-year old level. Without ever actually mentioning "war", i wanted to pass on to her the idea that tolerance and cooperation with others helps us live longer. She seemed to like the message. I think she felt it gave her some of the control over the whole inevitability of death. She said "i am healthy, i eat lots of vitamins. And i help others, and i get along with kids". I answered, "yes, you have a good start on a long life then". And that was the end of that conversation, for now. I wonder when it will pop up next.
Another bit was the 'emotions' week at school. Talking about expressing emotions is important. I put lots of emphasis on it when Sari was little, but considerably slacked off when she got older. It is hard for her to talk about things that are not pleasant. May be its hard for all of us. But talking about them makes them feel better, more removed, less scary, and many things we, adults, can explain to her quite effectively to help her navigate difficult situations. So, now i've heard her say things like "daddy was mad at me and that made me feel sad". In that particular case daddy wasn't mad, he was just being stern ("this is dinner time, not play time"), but the point is that she felt something and she communicated it rather than pouting. i love progress!
Another interesting point, it seems Sari has a good memory, very good. Certain things make an impression on her that we don't even realize. She said she wanted to go to Guatemala. Then she asked "will they take my shoes?" We didn't understand the question, so we asked, she repeated "will they take my shoes?" "Why do you ask that, Sari?" i said. And she replied "because, remember you told me kids in Guatemala don't have shoes". This was funny. Actually, daddy told her that once before, a long while back, in a speech about appreciating what you have, as an example of other kids' hardships. She remembered, and i guess decided that they may take hers. I said, "no, they will not take your shoes, may be they will ask, but you can say 'no, i am sorry, i need my shoes'. She said "i don't want them to take my shoes". She does like having nice shoes :) :)
Then the other day she asked, "How do you spell 'sorry'?". We answered S, O, R, R ... she asked "Another R??" That seemed to really surprised her. I am not sure why she needed to know how to spell it though...
New phrase from a couple of weeks back was "I am concerned". She used it correctly, and it pertained to the doll being misplaced. I heard it from the kitchen and had the luxury to let out a giggle.
Another interesting observation: she is curious about everything. When we are listening to the radio, she always asks "what are they talking about?" We try to explain on her level.
A couple of weeks ago, on one fine Saturday, she raised some serious topics. She asked "Are we going to die?" I answered "yes, eventually". She asked "why?" I knew this time she was not speaking of video-game-like temporary condition, but the big philosophical question. She understood the finality of death. I have no idea how it came up. Perhaps someone at school talked about a death of a pet or a loved one, perhaps it was something on the TV at the other house, or a conversation. But this was serious and needed an answer that could be both truthful and age-accessible. I explained that this is nature, we are born, we live, and we die. But it would be a long time from now. She asked "how is it like to die?" I answered that it is just like it is before we are born. She said she was afraid to die, and she didn't want to. We talked about it being something that happens after we live our whole life, and that we yet have many things to do. Daddy joined in talking about nature, and all of the things we all have to do, and how his grandma is still alive, and how we will talk about it more later. I know he talked to her about being born when he was putting her to bed. I imagine he went over all of these things again. But in the morning she was still concerned. After breakfast as her and i were playing in the living room, she asked me again "Are we going to die?". Since by now i already had time to prepare a good answer, i told her "yes, but we can all do something in order to live a longer life. We can do things that help us be healthy, like eating right and exercising, and we can cooperate with other people and help others, and they will help us, and then we will all live longer". This was my big anti-war speech, on the 4-year old level. Without ever actually mentioning "war", i wanted to pass on to her the idea that tolerance and cooperation with others helps us live longer. She seemed to like the message. I think she felt it gave her some of the control over the whole inevitability of death. She said "i am healthy, i eat lots of vitamins. And i help others, and i get along with kids". I answered, "yes, you have a good start on a long life then". And that was the end of that conversation, for now. I wonder when it will pop up next.
Another bit was the 'emotions' week at school. Talking about expressing emotions is important. I put lots of emphasis on it when Sari was little, but considerably slacked off when she got older. It is hard for her to talk about things that are not pleasant. May be its hard for all of us. But talking about them makes them feel better, more removed, less scary, and many things we, adults, can explain to her quite effectively to help her navigate difficult situations. So, now i've heard her say things like "daddy was mad at me and that made me feel sad". In that particular case daddy wasn't mad, he was just being stern ("this is dinner time, not play time"), but the point is that she felt something and she communicated it rather than pouting. i love progress!
Another interesting point, it seems Sari has a good memory, very good. Certain things make an impression on her that we don't even realize. She said she wanted to go to Guatemala. Then she asked "will they take my shoes?" We didn't understand the question, so we asked, she repeated "will they take my shoes?" "Why do you ask that, Sari?" i said. And she replied "because, remember you told me kids in Guatemala don't have shoes". This was funny. Actually, daddy told her that once before, a long while back, in a speech about appreciating what you have, as an example of other kids' hardships. She remembered, and i guess decided that they may take hers. I said, "no, they will not take your shoes, may be they will ask, but you can say 'no, i am sorry, i need my shoes'. She said "i don't want them to take my shoes". She does like having nice shoes :) :)
Then the other day she asked, "How do you spell 'sorry'?". We answered S, O, R, R ... she asked "Another R??" That seemed to really surprised her. I am not sure why she needed to know how to spell it though...
Friday, August 31, 2012
Sari says the coolest things
These are interesting days. Sara is asking a lot of questions, although she doesn't always have the patience to listen to the answers. This totally saves us from having some of the conversations we are not quite ready to have, and allows us to think about the answers. If she asked it once, she will ask it again, and, chances are, we will be prepared to answer.
On one of our long drives to somewhere, we passed Beverly Hills court house, and C pointed out to her "Julie and i got married there". She asked: "Why did you get married?" and then "Where was i then?" We told her we got married because we loved each other and wanted to be a family, and that she was close by, really close. That satisfied her for now, but, we have to be prepared for more, that's for sure!
We also have been hearing some funny quotes and conclusions from her. When C was taking his AutoCAD class this week, he told her he is going to school. She asked "So, if you are going to school now, are you turning into a kid?" C replied, "i wish" :)
Another little line that always amuses me is when she reminisces: "when i used to be a boy, i watched Tomas the Train". Or, "when i used to be a little squirrel, i used to eat acorns".
She also enjoys hearing stories about what she used to do when she was a baby. If i start remembering something, she will always ask for more: "and what else did i do?" We can go on for a while telling stories about her being a baby. I don't remember ever being interested in my own baby stage, and actually got a little annoyed when my mom tried to share those memories with me. So, this is really surprising for me to hear. Another thing that i understood: the reason why parents sometimes enjoy talking to their kids about those times, it is not because a baby stage was so pleasant or exciting, but it is because it coincided with the time of their lives when they were young, newly married, full of illusions and hopes, a beautiful time to be treasured. Now i can relate....It is funny how many things we can relate to once we go through similar experiences...I only wish that this body of knowledge could be useful to someone. We gain wisdom we can't make use of ourselves, so we have to find a way to pass it to the next generation somehow. I will be trying.
On one of our long drives to somewhere, we passed Beverly Hills court house, and C pointed out to her "Julie and i got married there". She asked: "Why did you get married?" and then "Where was i then?" We told her we got married because we loved each other and wanted to be a family, and that she was close by, really close. That satisfied her for now, but, we have to be prepared for more, that's for sure!
We also have been hearing some funny quotes and conclusions from her. When C was taking his AutoCAD class this week, he told her he is going to school. She asked "So, if you are going to school now, are you turning into a kid?" C replied, "i wish" :)
Another little line that always amuses me is when she reminisces: "when i used to be a boy, i watched Tomas the Train". Or, "when i used to be a little squirrel, i used to eat acorns".
She also enjoys hearing stories about what she used to do when she was a baby. If i start remembering something, she will always ask for more: "and what else did i do?" We can go on for a while telling stories about her being a baby. I don't remember ever being interested in my own baby stage, and actually got a little annoyed when my mom tried to share those memories with me. So, this is really surprising for me to hear. Another thing that i understood: the reason why parents sometimes enjoy talking to their kids about those times, it is not because a baby stage was so pleasant or exciting, but it is because it coincided with the time of their lives when they were young, newly married, full of illusions and hopes, a beautiful time to be treasured. Now i can relate....It is funny how many things we can relate to once we go through similar experiences...I only wish that this body of knowledge could be useful to someone. We gain wisdom we can't make use of ourselves, so we have to find a way to pass it to the next generation somehow. I will be trying.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
on tolerating people
luckily, years bring not only wrinkles, aches and pains and loss of muscle mass, but also certain amount of insight and some wisdom. As i examine my face in the mirror and find permanent traces of my past emotions engraved on my skin, i also realize that they are connected to some important life realizations that i would not like to give back for anything, not even for flawless skin of a 20 year old. One of these realization is that, just like everything else in life, human character is a package. Every virtue has its counter weighing flaw. Every aspect of one's personality that we enjoy arises out of his/hers personality structure that will also cause some characteristics that we don't particularly appreciate. For instance, there can not be a 'laid-back' person who gets things done immediately. If we enjoy them being laid-back, we must accept that they will also take leisurely attitude about urgent matters. If we enjoy someone's social friendliness, we must expect that person to keep multiple social connections with many people. So, when seeing someone's virtue, we must think what personality attribute it is connected to, in order to be able to "preview" the flaws that are caused by it. We can apply the same principle when being annoyed by someone's personality trait, by looking at the positive aspects that this trait is likely to bring.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Sari's big 4
Sari turned 4! it was a big deal for me, since this is the first birthday that she will actually remember, or, at least may remember. I really wanted her to have what other kids have -- a big party with a bunch of other kids, a big cake, people singing, and general feeling of joy. The challenge was to provide all this without having any access to any friends or family. It was a tall order, but i figured that a per-school friends plus a jumper in a nearby park would be a good. About a month before the party i reserved a picnic area, i ordered a mermaid jumper and a bubble machine, and put together a flyer, that was originally meant to be an invitation card. Carlos found the graphics to be too pixilated to print, so he ended up re-designing it and printing it just a couple of weeks prior to the party date. As we were handing out the flyers and not getting any RSVPs that i asked for, i started to get really concerned: "would anyone actually show up? what if they don't? what will we do? how to get people to come?" We brainstormed some ideas, but Carlos just ended up doing what he does best - being a friendly people-person, he just started talking to other parents, and we ended up with a full attendance. Sari new she was going to have a party and she was pretty excited. I was a nervous wreck - my first attempt at hosting a big kid event. The night before we stopped at Costco and bought some "industrial quantity" snacks. Of course, i had all of these ideas about the little things i could make myself easily, but Carlos really felt we should skip the effort and give people something they will know and feel comfortable eating - the basic things. We ended up with hotdogs, veggie dogs and chicken&spinach sausages for the kids, as well as meat and cheese tray and veggie tray. I went to the park early to meet the jumper installer, and had a chance to decorate the picnic area a little.
When everyone started to show up, i felt a sense of relief, i knew i could give Sari the party she could remember with warm feelings later, a party of her and her friends!
While Carlos labored at the grill, i preoccupied myself with making sure no adult felt left out or ignored. I chit-chatted with whoever looked like they needed it, and got to know the parents in the process. This preschool is really unique in the way that all the kids come from very nice and completely international homes. Momo comes from China, Michelle's mother from Indonesia and father from Peru, the little twins Bryan and ? have a French father and mother is from Lebanon, Dillon's parents from french Caribbean island, Bradley from Guatemala, Nathan is American, Nishant is Indian, Krista is from German mom and South American dad, and the list goes on. Carlos hooked up the princess pinata with this super mechanism of a rope and a pulley suspended between two trees, and coordinated the kids for pinata activity. It was super cute how they all listened well to instructions, and how they then swung as hard as they could at that thing. What fun!
It was nice to see this great mix of people and a great mix of kids all having fun. Sari's birthday was a success! She got a boat load of presents too, which i did not expect, but Sari was delighted opening all the stuff when we got home. Grandma gave her a Mermaid costume, well, actually, a Mermaid skirt, and i made the bra part of it. Sari has been dressing herself in that costume every day for 2 weeks straight. She loved it so much, she even showed the initiative to wash it herself, when i pointed out that it was dirty. Zhanna sent legos of a stage and cafe station with two girls. Sari wanted to put it together straight away, so Carlos supervised that effort. She played the 'show' with it for several days after, which i found really fun and imaginative, since she was drawing on her memories of a circus performance that we went to watch with my parents when they were here in July. She also played with many of her puzzles that she likes very much, although she is not really quite getting the method for putting it together yet, i am sure once she figures it out, she will be unstoppable. I love the jigsaw puzzles myself, so i can really relate. The only thing that i did not accomplish is the whole donation thing. I was going to get Sari to pick the old toys she no longer plays with to be donated. I want to teach her charity, sharing, and also to remove clutter -- many lessons at once. But we got so very busy and didn't get the moment. Now i think i may do it before the winter holidays.
She has really grown and matured so very much since the beginning of the year. She has the level of comprehension about more complicated topics, she is firmly grounded in reality - she knows what may be real and what has to be pretend. Sometimes i wish she believed more in the miraculous impossible, the american kid stuff, but she is more like me - she is practical in many ways. Its nice to see yourself in your child, it gives such a feeling of continuity -- "whatever i don't get done on this earth she will finish for me". And, it gives me so much hope for the future! Although, i really hope that for the next birthday we would have people that we know well enough to call on the phone to invite to a party :)
When everyone started to show up, i felt a sense of relief, i knew i could give Sari the party she could remember with warm feelings later, a party of her and her friends!
While Carlos labored at the grill, i preoccupied myself with making sure no adult felt left out or ignored. I chit-chatted with whoever looked like they needed it, and got to know the parents in the process. This preschool is really unique in the way that all the kids come from very nice and completely international homes. Momo comes from China, Michelle's mother from Indonesia and father from Peru, the little twins Bryan and ? have a French father and mother is from Lebanon, Dillon's parents from french Caribbean island, Bradley from Guatemala, Nathan is American, Nishant is Indian, Krista is from German mom and South American dad, and the list goes on. Carlos hooked up the princess pinata with this super mechanism of a rope and a pulley suspended between two trees, and coordinated the kids for pinata activity. It was super cute how they all listened well to instructions, and how they then swung as hard as they could at that thing. What fun!
It was nice to see this great mix of people and a great mix of kids all having fun. Sari's birthday was a success! She got a boat load of presents too, which i did not expect, but Sari was delighted opening all the stuff when we got home. Grandma gave her a Mermaid costume, well, actually, a Mermaid skirt, and i made the bra part of it. Sari has been dressing herself in that costume every day for 2 weeks straight. She loved it so much, she even showed the initiative to wash it herself, when i pointed out that it was dirty. Zhanna sent legos of a stage and cafe station with two girls. Sari wanted to put it together straight away, so Carlos supervised that effort. She played the 'show' with it for several days after, which i found really fun and imaginative, since she was drawing on her memories of a circus performance that we went to watch with my parents when they were here in July. She also played with many of her puzzles that she likes very much, although she is not really quite getting the method for putting it together yet, i am sure once she figures it out, she will be unstoppable. I love the jigsaw puzzles myself, so i can really relate. The only thing that i did not accomplish is the whole donation thing. I was going to get Sari to pick the old toys she no longer plays with to be donated. I want to teach her charity, sharing, and also to remove clutter -- many lessons at once. But we got so very busy and didn't get the moment. Now i think i may do it before the winter holidays.
She has really grown and matured so very much since the beginning of the year. She has the level of comprehension about more complicated topics, she is firmly grounded in reality - she knows what may be real and what has to be pretend. Sometimes i wish she believed more in the miraculous impossible, the american kid stuff, but she is more like me - she is practical in many ways. Its nice to see yourself in your child, it gives such a feeling of continuity -- "whatever i don't get done on this earth she will finish for me". And, it gives me so much hope for the future! Although, i really hope that for the next birthday we would have people that we know well enough to call on the phone to invite to a party :)
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
No Marthas was here
Martha Stuart would not be amused seeing her recipe butchered in such manner with complete ruthlessness, to accommodate the Russian-Jewish-Guatemalan-American taste buds, but in this house it was a shining, beaming, glowing success. :)
I made this last week, I believe.
Fire roast 3 poblano peppers until skin is blackened. Put in paper bag to sweat. Take out and peel carefully. Now the pepper will be silky instead of hard..
Cook 1/2 cup of polenta in chicken broth, per directions. Add 1/4 cup of cheese
Preheat oven to 425. In a blender, combine can of fire roasted tomatoes, half of a large onion, and 2 whole garlic cloves; puree, then cook in a pan on low med heat to combine into a sauce, Season with salt, pinch of enchilada seasoning, and smoked paprika, to taste. Pour sauce into a 9-by-9inch baking dish; set aside.
In a pan cook remaining onions, combine with beans, small clove of minced garlic, cumin, adjust seasoning, and cook.
Dividing evenly, stuff poblanos with bean mixture, add slice of quesadilla cheese, and load up with polenta. Place each pepper on top of sauce in baking dish. Sprinkle poblanos with remaining 1/2 cup cheese;
Bake 30 min or until sauce is thickened slightly and cheese is browned. Let cool 10 minutes.
I made this last week, I believe.
Fire roast 3 poblano peppers until skin is blackened. Put in paper bag to sweat. Take out and peel carefully. Now the pepper will be silky instead of hard..
Cook 1/2 cup of polenta in chicken broth, per directions. Add 1/4 cup of cheese
Preheat oven to 425. In a blender, combine can of fire roasted tomatoes, half of a large onion, and 2 whole garlic cloves; puree, then cook in a pan on low med heat to combine into a sauce, Season with salt, pinch of enchilada seasoning, and smoked paprika, to taste. Pour sauce into a 9-by-9inch baking dish; set aside.
In a pan cook remaining onions, combine with beans, small clove of minced garlic, cumin, adjust seasoning, and cook.
Dividing evenly, stuff poblanos with bean mixture, add slice of quesadilla cheese, and load up with polenta. Place each pepper on top of sauce in baking dish. Sprinkle poblanos with remaining 1/2 cup cheese;
Bake 30 min or until sauce is thickened slightly and cheese is browned. Let cool 10 minutes.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Summer outdoors adventures
Its mid-summer, it seems only a few weeks ago we celebrated the new year, and were hoping for the best. Now with our move being a bit of a soar topic to all involved, we are trying to keep our spirits up by engaging fully in the activities that summer has to offer.
We completed two fabulous camping trips so far. On our Portland anniversary (June 1) we camped at Malibu Creek. The weekend started off a little rocky. First it took us a ridiculously long time to get ourselves packed in the morning. It seems i have forgotten what we needed to take with us, and was struggling to organize. When we finally made it to the park it was already 2pm. Because it was so late, we were unable to get our previous site, or any other "good" site away from people. I felt so disproportionally disappointed, frustrated because we lost so much time, frazzled from getting ready so frantically, even though the spot we ended up with was entirely ok. We took a walk on the nearby trail, encountering a bunny, small grass meadow,
and followed a dried up river bed. By the time we came back to the site, it was getting late and dark, and shrimp pockets were a perfect fit for dinner. But then we discovered that i forgot our tea kettle!!! No tea time? Nooooooo!! I opted to try to boil water in our water bottle. It took a long time, but to C's surprise we succeeded, and was able to also use it to make coffee the next morning. After breakfast we headed out to the rock pools. It seemed much closer this time, perhaps because we already knew the road, i am not sure... When we got there, there was some excitement going on: the rangers were deployed in search for a missing teenager. We watched the commotion, then enjoyed the rock pools (and even dove off the rocks once), and had a lovely lunch. As we were leaving, we took a detour and hiked up to the Mash filming sight, which was kind of cool, even though neither one of us was ever a fan of the show. The place was surrounded by big hills and in the pre-sunset time was quite peaceful and free of people, for the most part. On the way back we spotted a family of deer, which C was able to photograph. What a lovely trip it turned out to be!
On our engagement anniversary we ventured to Point Mugu again. It was so nice to be there again, in the place of memories, remembering my parents being there with us, remembering ourselves. In preparation for the trip i located some biking maps, and we planned out a bike loop. We got to the campsite earlier this time, packing with a list was a little better. We were able to snag a good site, so i was happy! We had lunch of tuna wrappers, and this is when i noticed that i forgot to pack the frozen shrimps!!! Oh, no! We figured we would just go and find the nearest grocery store afterwords and get them, no big deal. So, after lunch we embarked on our biking adventure of the day, our loop, starting with the Sycamore Canyon trail, up the Hell hill, and back via Overlook fire road. Although i walked 99% of the Hell hill, C was able to bike some of it, which was impressive, because from my perspective, there is absolutely no way! But i found the first part of that trail very beautiful, especially the back portion right before the Hell Hill, Fox trail- something, if i remember right. I would definitely invest some time in doing that part again, and looping the other way back to Sycamore Trail. We felt the wind in our faces on our gentle ride downhill on the Overlook fire road, taking notice of the rocky wall where we hid a note two years ago. We were not sure if we found the exact location, but took a photo to confirm. Upon confirmation, wooohooo, it was the spot, as we have matching pictures from 5/28/2010 of me putting it here!!!
\
When we came back to our camp site after our bike loop and started setting up, we discovered that we forgot our sleeping bags!!! Oh, no!!! So, now we had no choice but to drive 1.5 hours back home to get them, and, the missing shrimp too. It was super funny to realize that even with a packing list, some stuff did not get packed. When we got to the house, i also realized that i didn't pack our pillows, or our toothbrushes. Wow! Then we drove our 1.5 back to the campground, and got back in time to have dinner before sunset! The next day we headed to explore the Serrano loop on foot. We started by driving to the end of Serrano rd, which is an abandoned road that comes downhill for a while and ends with a closed gate. Then what continues is the remains of the abandoned road, overgrown with vegetation, looking gloriously apocalyptic! The road continues down the valley, in the beautiful grass meadows, bypassing the burned down ranch (which we explored vigorously).
From there we struggled to find the loop trail. We were hoping a just do a small loop that we found on the maps, but the markings were old and not visible, and we ended up making our way on Serrano Canyon trail, which almost lead us back to the Sycamore Canyon road. The trail itself is shaded, cool and pleasant and winds its way inside a narrow canyon, around a seasonal creek. There were some nice wild tiger lilies on the way (this was my very first time seeing tiger lilies in the wild, my grandmother grew them back in the ol' country's summer home)
but also some poison ivy. We eventually turned back, when "sun started to touch the top of the trees", and made it back via almost erased loop trail that we were seeking. The hike was declared a success, and fining our van perfectly in tact, despite C's concerns, was definitely a happy ending.
What a beautiful adventure this was!
We completed two fabulous camping trips so far. On our Portland anniversary (June 1) we camped at Malibu Creek. The weekend started off a little rocky. First it took us a ridiculously long time to get ourselves packed in the morning. It seems i have forgotten what we needed to take with us, and was struggling to organize. When we finally made it to the park it was already 2pm. Because it was so late, we were unable to get our previous site, or any other "good" site away from people. I felt so disproportionally disappointed, frustrated because we lost so much time, frazzled from getting ready so frantically, even though the spot we ended up with was entirely ok. We took a walk on the nearby trail, encountering a bunny, small grass meadow,
and followed a dried up river bed. By the time we came back to the site, it was getting late and dark, and shrimp pockets were a perfect fit for dinner. But then we discovered that i forgot our tea kettle!!! No tea time? Nooooooo!! I opted to try to boil water in our water bottle. It took a long time, but to C's surprise we succeeded, and was able to also use it to make coffee the next morning. After breakfast we headed out to the rock pools. It seemed much closer this time, perhaps because we already knew the road, i am not sure... When we got there, there was some excitement going on: the rangers were deployed in search for a missing teenager. We watched the commotion, then enjoyed the rock pools (and even dove off the rocks once), and had a lovely lunch. As we were leaving, we took a detour and hiked up to the Mash filming sight, which was kind of cool, even though neither one of us was ever a fan of the show. The place was surrounded by big hills and in the pre-sunset time was quite peaceful and free of people, for the most part. On the way back we spotted a family of deer, which C was able to photograph. What a lovely trip it turned out to be!
On our engagement anniversary we ventured to Point Mugu again. It was so nice to be there again, in the place of memories, remembering my parents being there with us, remembering ourselves. In preparation for the trip i located some biking maps, and we planned out a bike loop. We got to the campsite earlier this time, packing with a list was a little better. We were able to snag a good site, so i was happy! We had lunch of tuna wrappers, and this is when i noticed that i forgot to pack the frozen shrimps!!! Oh, no! We figured we would just go and find the nearest grocery store afterwords and get them, no big deal. So, after lunch we embarked on our biking adventure of the day, our loop, starting with the Sycamore Canyon trail, up the Hell hill, and back via Overlook fire road. Although i walked 99% of the Hell hill, C was able to bike some of it, which was impressive, because from my perspective, there is absolutely no way! But i found the first part of that trail very beautiful, especially the back portion right before the Hell Hill, Fox trail- something, if i remember right. I would definitely invest some time in doing that part again, and looping the other way back to Sycamore Trail. We felt the wind in our faces on our gentle ride downhill on the Overlook fire road, taking notice of the rocky wall where we hid a note two years ago. We were not sure if we found the exact location, but took a photo to confirm. Upon confirmation, wooohooo, it was the spot, as we have matching pictures from 5/28/2010 of me putting it here!!!
When we came back to our camp site after our bike loop and started setting up, we discovered that we forgot our sleeping bags!!! Oh, no!!! So, now we had no choice but to drive 1.5 hours back home to get them, and, the missing shrimp too. It was super funny to realize that even with a packing list, some stuff did not get packed. When we got to the house, i also realized that i didn't pack our pillows, or our toothbrushes. Wow! Then we drove our 1.5 back to the campground, and got back in time to have dinner before sunset! The next day we headed to explore the Serrano loop on foot. We started by driving to the end of Serrano rd, which is an abandoned road that comes downhill for a while and ends with a closed gate. Then what continues is the remains of the abandoned road, overgrown with vegetation, looking gloriously apocalyptic! The road continues down the valley, in the beautiful grass meadows, bypassing the burned down ranch (which we explored vigorously).
From there we struggled to find the loop trail. We were hoping a just do a small loop that we found on the maps, but the markings were old and not visible, and we ended up making our way on Serrano Canyon trail, which almost lead us back to the Sycamore Canyon road. The trail itself is shaded, cool and pleasant and winds its way inside a narrow canyon, around a seasonal creek. There were some nice wild tiger lilies on the way (this was my very first time seeing tiger lilies in the wild, my grandmother grew them back in the ol' country's summer home)
but also some poison ivy. We eventually turned back, when "sun started to touch the top of the trees", and made it back via almost erased loop trail that we were seeking. The hike was declared a success, and fining our van perfectly in tact, despite C's concerns, was definitely a happy ending.
What a beautiful adventure this was!
Thursday, June 21, 2012
hard questions
It's that time of hard questions, again. Sari is definitely
growing up. Yesterday on her way home from school she proceeded to tell us that
when she was a baby her mommy pushed her in the stroller. I agreed and added that when she was a baby her daddy
carried her in his arms too. That seemed to upset her, as she protested: "no, mommy carried me in a
stroller". I confirmed that fact, and repeated my addition as well. She protested, and said that she only has one daddy. My radar went off, as I
detected conflicting information being supplied, but i was a little confused at what exactly wasn't adding up in her mind, and what the cause of distress. I calmly asserted that both statements
are, in fact, true, and promised to show her pictures of her when she was a baby when we get home.
When
we got home C pulled some of the old baby pictures up on his phone and she was
able to see herself in daddy's arms. Moral of the story is from the Walmart
tshirt: "Love always wins".
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
what was the happiest moment of your day
I've
always felt that the most important thing I can teach my daughter is how to be
happy: how to find enjoyment in the
littlest of things, how to treasure each moment, how to recognize "the
bright side" in any circumstance. As part of that "training", at
dinner we ask each person to say what the happiest moment of the day was for
him/her. We don’t end up doing it every day, but most days. Yesterday I was so incredibly proud of her when she was the one who asked us
"tell me what was the happiest moment of your day?"
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
April and May adventures
Many things happened in April and May:
Carlos and i visited my parents in Detroit, we drove to Ohio to meet Sergio and the family, we spent a few days in Chicago. Coming back to Michigan was sort of surreal: it felt familiar and strange at the same time. Familiar, because i've lived there for 20 + years, and strange because its no longer the "me" that lived there. I was experiencing this with brand new eyes of today, along with my soulmate right next to me. That felt so beautiful, so magical, so intense!
Seeing my parents and their house made me reminisce about my grandmother, how i could almost visualize her there with us. It felt bitter sweet.
Friday evening we met up with all of my deer Rouge peeps. It felt overwhelming, as i really wanted to be able to talk with each one of them individually, but in the group setting that is just not possible, so i had to enjoy whatever i had.
The next morning we had a beautiful breakfast with my parents, and then C and i went to explore downtown, take pictures, and have general fun, which concluded at Noble Fish. C enjoyed the city, and sushi, and i think was able to be a good tour guide. But the most important part was that i was able to share my previous experiences with him, to "write him into" some of my favorite experiences, to share them as much as possible. Those memories now feel more sunshiny and more special because C was there. It was an important trip to take.
The next morning we went to Kensington park with the Gesses. We walked around the lake and had a picnic. C was able to see how wonderful the Gesses are, and how important they were to our family. It was a super enjoyable day. I felt very encouraged, as they showed interest in my daughter, and shared some of the similar experiences of people close to them.
The next morning we drove out back to Chicago, via Ohio. We stopped to see C's brother's family, but didn't stay there very long.
Chicago met us with beautiful weather! We stayed in a very nice hotel in a perfect location that was close to everything we wanted to do. A walking architecture tour was very informative. We learned about the development of sky scrapers and learned to recognize different elements of style. Then we relaxed on the river tour, although not in good spirits, as some disagreements about time management caused a bit of a tiff. At the end of the day we went to the observation tower and enjoyed very beautiful views of the city. Finally we were able to talk out our differences and went to have a nice dinner at some Italian place. In the morning we stopped to see a Monet exhibit, and eat lunch at a famous hot dog place before heading to the airport.
Another weekend we ventured to Temecula wine country, planning to bike around. After the first winery C suggested that driving would be more efficient and would allow us to visit more places. C enjoyed learning about wine, as he has a sensitive taste palate, he would be a good candidate for a true connoisseur, given time and experience, - a much better one than i could ever be. We bought some bottles that we loved, and really enjoyed ourselves. The only problem was the starter on Odyssey that was starting to go bad, so periodically we couldn't start our van. At the end of the day, when we packed in front of the Motel 6 office, were we had a reservation (i decided not to spend zillion dollars on resort-type lodging in that area, but go cheap), our van would no longer start at all. We tried a bunch of stuff, but had to decide to take care of it in the morning. The motel was totally creepy: what made it awful was strange homeless-looking people that occupied one of the downstairs rooms. They were all looking like junkies, going in and out, their door was perpetually open. I think this really soured me toward any 'motel' type lodging in the future, at least in resort places. The next morning we biked to a hardware store, got a hammer and something to bang the starter with, and in a joint effort we were able to get it going! Yey!!! C decided we might as well visit more wineries, and we went to discover one of his favorites "Duffy", were he enjoyed not only the wine, but the beautiful girl that did our tasting, and her family winery stories. We did not shut off the engine as we went from place to place, in fear that we would end up stranded again. We came back home with a bunch of wine, tired and happy. Of course, the next day C worked on the replacement of the starter on Odyssey.
For Mother's day my beautiful, thoughtful, caring C brought me flowers, and it made me feel so very special!!! I was actually anxious prior to that day, its a weird holiday for me, because i definitely feel like a mother, but have no such title. It sort of makes everything uncomfortable, both for me and for S, i think. To celebrate we went to an Oxnard farm, ate and picked a boat load of blueberries, then had a picnic and flew a kite at the cross hill. The day was super windy, which made it difficult for me to move around in the fly-away skirt that i was wearing. I wore it because i really wanted to have beautiful pictures of us on Mother's day, and because i am self-conscious about my weight nowadays, wearing pants was not desirable. But what makes for a pretty picture sometimes does not make for a pretty memory. C was uncomfortable and annoyed at my high-exposure flying skirt and made it known. I struggled to keep my spirits up and concentrate on enjoying S, as she was having a blast with the kite. I think the lesson to extract out of this is, worry about experiences more than about photo memories.
At the end of May we went to a carnival called 'Strawberry fair''. S and i twirled until we almost puked with Sari leading the way. She was very enthusiastic for all of the rides, even some that were a little too vigorous for her. C mostly just watched us, as he didn't feel temped to be perpetually rotated. The day was a success, and much cheaper than LA fair in September.
In other May's accomplishments, Sari had her first lego experience, it was nice to see her build stuff. She built a house, and seemed to 'get' what lego is all about.
Carlos and i visited my parents in Detroit, we drove to Ohio to meet Sergio and the family, we spent a few days in Chicago. Coming back to Michigan was sort of surreal: it felt familiar and strange at the same time. Familiar, because i've lived there for 20 + years, and strange because its no longer the "me" that lived there. I was experiencing this with brand new eyes of today, along with my soulmate right next to me. That felt so beautiful, so magical, so intense!
Seeing my parents and their house made me reminisce about my grandmother, how i could almost visualize her there with us. It felt bitter sweet.
Friday evening we met up with all of my deer Rouge peeps. It felt overwhelming, as i really wanted to be able to talk with each one of them individually, but in the group setting that is just not possible, so i had to enjoy whatever i had.
The next morning we had a beautiful breakfast with my parents, and then C and i went to explore downtown, take pictures, and have general fun, which concluded at Noble Fish. C enjoyed the city, and sushi, and i think was able to be a good tour guide. But the most important part was that i was able to share my previous experiences with him, to "write him into" some of my favorite experiences, to share them as much as possible. Those memories now feel more sunshiny and more special because C was there. It was an important trip to take.
The next morning we went to Kensington park with the Gesses. We walked around the lake and had a picnic. C was able to see how wonderful the Gesses are, and how important they were to our family. It was a super enjoyable day. I felt very encouraged, as they showed interest in my daughter, and shared some of the similar experiences of people close to them.
The next morning we drove out back to Chicago, via Ohio. We stopped to see C's brother's family, but didn't stay there very long.
Chicago met us with beautiful weather! We stayed in a very nice hotel in a perfect location that was close to everything we wanted to do. A walking architecture tour was very informative. We learned about the development of sky scrapers and learned to recognize different elements of style. Then we relaxed on the river tour, although not in good spirits, as some disagreements about time management caused a bit of a tiff. At the end of the day we went to the observation tower and enjoyed very beautiful views of the city. Finally we were able to talk out our differences and went to have a nice dinner at some Italian place. In the morning we stopped to see a Monet exhibit, and eat lunch at a famous hot dog place before heading to the airport.
Another weekend we ventured to Temecula wine country, planning to bike around. After the first winery C suggested that driving would be more efficient and would allow us to visit more places. C enjoyed learning about wine, as he has a sensitive taste palate, he would be a good candidate for a true connoisseur, given time and experience, - a much better one than i could ever be. We bought some bottles that we loved, and really enjoyed ourselves. The only problem was the starter on Odyssey that was starting to go bad, so periodically we couldn't start our van. At the end of the day, when we packed in front of the Motel 6 office, were we had a reservation (i decided not to spend zillion dollars on resort-type lodging in that area, but go cheap), our van would no longer start at all. We tried a bunch of stuff, but had to decide to take care of it in the morning. The motel was totally creepy: what made it awful was strange homeless-looking people that occupied one of the downstairs rooms. They were all looking like junkies, going in and out, their door was perpetually open. I think this really soured me toward any 'motel' type lodging in the future, at least in resort places. The next morning we biked to a hardware store, got a hammer and something to bang the starter with, and in a joint effort we were able to get it going! Yey!!! C decided we might as well visit more wineries, and we went to discover one of his favorites "Duffy", were he enjoyed not only the wine, but the beautiful girl that did our tasting, and her family winery stories. We did not shut off the engine as we went from place to place, in fear that we would end up stranded again. We came back home with a bunch of wine, tired and happy. Of course, the next day C worked on the replacement of the starter on Odyssey.
For Mother's day my beautiful, thoughtful, caring C brought me flowers, and it made me feel so very special!!! I was actually anxious prior to that day, its a weird holiday for me, because i definitely feel like a mother, but have no such title. It sort of makes everything uncomfortable, both for me and for S, i think. To celebrate we went to an Oxnard farm, ate and picked a boat load of blueberries, then had a picnic and flew a kite at the cross hill. The day was super windy, which made it difficult for me to move around in the fly-away skirt that i was wearing. I wore it because i really wanted to have beautiful pictures of us on Mother's day, and because i am self-conscious about my weight nowadays, wearing pants was not desirable. But what makes for a pretty picture sometimes does not make for a pretty memory. C was uncomfortable and annoyed at my high-exposure flying skirt and made it known. I struggled to keep my spirits up and concentrate on enjoying S, as she was having a blast with the kite. I think the lesson to extract out of this is, worry about experiences more than about photo memories.
At the end of May we went to a carnival called 'Strawberry fair''. S and i twirled until we almost puked with Sari leading the way. She was very enthusiastic for all of the rides, even some that were a little too vigorous for her. C mostly just watched us, as he didn't feel temped to be perpetually rotated. The day was a success, and much cheaper than LA fair in September.
In other May's accomplishments, Sari had her first lego experience, it was nice to see her build stuff. She built a house, and seemed to 'get' what lego is all about.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Passover and Easter with Garcias
This was the weekends of falalalalas: Passover and Easter on the same weekend produced a ton of work for me in the kitchen, but also lots of fun.
I managed to cook my very first Passover dinner, including a matzo ball soup and gefilte fish and a kugel!!! All was kosher and all was yummy. It took most of Friday to prepare and definitely required a day off, which i didn't take, but just mulit-tasked. The fish takes 2 hours of cooking time, and the broth for soup alone takes 90 min, so next time i will complete some of this the day before to lighten the load. The seder plate was nice, i used endive for maror, cucumber for karpas, roaster beet for zroa, romaine lettuce for hazeret, and my egg was just boiled and not roasted. I did my best at conducting the sedar, although next time i would definitely print out a haggadah to help me along.
The next day we went to a second seder at the humanistic synagogue event and had a good time, although it wasn't structured enough for my taste, and unawareness of other participants was off-putting for me, they were very welcoming to Carlos, and that alone made the day enjoyable and nice.
For our easter we went to the zoo for the bunny spring fling. We missed most of the kid activities and just spent time walking around. We spotted a little baby orange monkey that was for me the star of the show. She was soooooo cute, and was jumping so very well, trying water with her finger and hanging on her mothers boob. She even caught and tried her mother's poop, which the crowd found charming. Later i bought a little toy for Sari that looked similar to the little monkey we saw. I am still unsure on how much she cared to have it, since she doesn't seem to be very much into animals or stuffed animals. But time will tell if that will change as her role playing skills develop further..
Yesterday i was also remembering last year's Easter, when we went downtown LA for an Easter event. I was remembering the jump house, the fabulous ceviche that we made at home and took with us, the sunny nice day, the chrysanthemum flowers someone gave to us, the playground where S played as C and i fought over absolutely nothing, but very vigorously.
I managed to cook my very first Passover dinner, including a matzo ball soup and gefilte fish and a kugel!!! All was kosher and all was yummy. It took most of Friday to prepare and definitely required a day off, which i didn't take, but just mulit-tasked. The fish takes 2 hours of cooking time, and the broth for soup alone takes 90 min, so next time i will complete some of this the day before to lighten the load. The seder plate was nice, i used endive for maror, cucumber for karpas, roaster beet for zroa, romaine lettuce for hazeret, and my egg was just boiled and not roasted. I did my best at conducting the sedar, although next time i would definitely print out a haggadah to help me along.
The next day we went to a second seder at the humanistic synagogue event and had a good time, although it wasn't structured enough for my taste, and unawareness of other participants was off-putting for me, they were very welcoming to Carlos, and that alone made the day enjoyable and nice.
For our easter we went to the zoo for the bunny spring fling. We missed most of the kid activities and just spent time walking around. We spotted a little baby orange monkey that was for me the star of the show. She was soooooo cute, and was jumping so very well, trying water with her finger and hanging on her mothers boob. She even caught and tried her mother's poop, which the crowd found charming. Later i bought a little toy for Sari that looked similar to the little monkey we saw. I am still unsure on how much she cared to have it, since she doesn't seem to be very much into animals or stuffed animals. But time will tell if that will change as her role playing skills develop further..
Yesterday i was also remembering last year's Easter, when we went downtown LA for an Easter event. I was remembering the jump house, the fabulous ceviche that we made at home and took with us, the sunny nice day, the chrysanthemum flowers someone gave to us, the playground where S played as C and i fought over absolutely nothing, but very vigorously.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Blooms in the Desert
Last weekend we headed out to Joshua Tree to see how Spring brought life and color to the usually barren landscape. Like last Spring, we arrived the night before and headed to our hike in the morning.
Once again we stayed at the Super 8 on the north side of the park, because it was the most reliable choice closest to the park. Carlos advised me against booking anything on the south side of the park due to the meth towns there. Our evening was Del Taco, a few beers, and a nice conversation, and in the morning we promptly headed out, driving through the whole park to get to the south, making a couple of stops to take pictures along the way.
Last year we covered 49 Palms trail and Lost Horse Trail, where we saw an old mine, and later a bed and a chimney. This time we went to the south part of the park and did the Lost Palm Canyon trail. Most of the landscape was pretty flat, so i would say that it was physically easier then the previous hikes, but longer in distance. Most of the flowers we encountered were in the first 1 mile of the hike. I still think that 49 Palms is probably the most colorful destination, with the most wild life. We did spot a smaller lizard and frogs in the water pools, but no one else.
It was weird walking on a flat plane not knowing how far we've gone and how much more we have to travel. I guess i am accustomed to the mountainous terrain where you can either see your destination, or surmise how far it is by watching landscape. Hiking flat surfaces is more like traveling blind ( i guess a GPS or a map and a compass would resolve that), but we were there for the whole day, not in a rush, and mainly for taking pictures. Toward the end of the trail we started to see some views, finally, and it became less monotonous and more beautiful, at least to my eyes.
When we finally arrived at the Lost Palms Canyon, the trail down was not very clearly defined, so we hopped down the best way we found. At the base, a large group of palms seemed inviting, but was occupied by a bunch of boy scouts, so we moved on following the canyon and encountered a number of smaller groups of Palms. We took a lunch break at the last palm collection, before heading back. Perhaps next time we would attempt to climb up to the upper oasis, which definitely has no trail and would require scrambling.
On the trail back we met a park ranger, an elderly lady who was eager to make conversation. She told us she was from Boston and she works as a campground host, living in the RV for several months with her husband. She enjoys the outdoors and is clearly living a dream retirement. After finding out Carlos was from Guatemala, she proceeded to share memories of her time volunteering with habitat for humanity there in Guatemala. Super fun and adventurous lady she was. Carlos and i talked about how much it would cost to be able to do what she does when we retire.
On the road back home, driving through the south road, we stopped for dinner in Cathedral City, finding these awesome Mexican restaurant on yelp. It didn't look much on the outside and was located next to a grocery store, or a dollar store, and some sketchy Chinese carry out place, but it exceeded our expectations by looking super cute and super busy on the inside. Although they were out of oysters, and substituted octopus for abalone on the menu without telling us, the food was actually very good, my cranberry margarita was nice.
The only difficulty was driving back home, because we were both super sleepy and tired, and it started raining. Thankfully Carlos managed to get us home safe.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Sick days are no fun
Yesterday we picked up S from pre-school with a fever and a tummy ache. Not realizing how bad she was actually feeling, we drove to the Farm Market. Once we got there, she pretty much expressed that she was really not up for anything, and started sobbing. C started figuring out what caused her problem, she said she are "little thingies", which per K were cherries. But there is no connection between food allergy and fever, so i think its unrelated, and possibly a stomach flu. After fever reducing medicine, she felt better and after peppermint tea with honey, she went to sleep.
Under stress, C worked on his resume and i completely cleaned out our coffee maker. And, of course, found a way to disappoint each other, which happens often under stress. Looks like we still have some work to do in the area of tolerance and understanding toward each other.
And, just a day ago she was full of energy, telling us about a little dinosaur that sat on her back, that was pink and purple (her favorite colors), had wings, but couldn't fly, just jump, she was a girl, and had little teeth, so she couldn't bite anyone.
Under stress, C worked on his resume and i completely cleaned out our coffee maker. And, of course, found a way to disappoint each other, which happens often under stress. Looks like we still have some work to do in the area of tolerance and understanding toward each other.
And, just a day ago she was full of energy, telling us about a little dinosaur that sat on her back, that was pink and purple (her favorite colors), had wings, but couldn't fly, just jump, she was a girl, and had little teeth, so she couldn't bite anyone.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
What is parenting
I am experiencing happiness like I’ve never even imagined possible,
and it is of a completely different variety. Life is no longer an aimless
wandering in search for joy, it is no longer a string of colorful moments held
together by memory, but a volcano of life energy that bursts and lights
everything around. Even the most seemingly meaningless little things are now
fulfilling, because of my daughter. I found that parenting is the ultimate process
of self-realization. But this cannot be understood theoretically, it can only
be experienced while tuning in, while remaining thoughtful and conscious
through every step in the process of the development of a brand new human being,
the one that is formed by the cooperation of Nature and I.
It is the process not unlike a mountain climb. First you walk through the woods, and the path is not clear, and you can't even see the summit ahead, and it feels emotionally exhausting and confusing, and your back is not accustomed to the pack yet, but your legs are fresh and you are hopeful about the future. Then trees being to clear and the summit shines way up high. You don't exactly know what it would take to get there, but you are starting to form a plan in your head, based on the materials available, the conditions, and what you see in front of you. And then, you start to ascend. Some sections are just slow and steady rises that take perseverance and patience, some are fun and challenging rocks that take ingenuity and strength. Sometimes you have to adjust to the circumstances, at a moment's notice, taking your own experienced and the experiences of the ones that came before you into consideration. Some sections you walk slow and steady, eyes fixed on the ground one step ahead. Sometimes you look around and take in the breathtaking views and realize that there is nothing on Earth that you would rather do right now. Sometimes you make mistakes, you backtrack and try again. But always, the summit is ahead, and deeply in your heart.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Previously documented moments
Time is zooming by, with the speed of...hmmm...time. Time is the only thing you can not catch, except with the camera. And, at the end of 2011 there were so many beautiful moments that we caught on camera, but because of all the hectic mess of the holidays and our parents visit i never organized for future memories.
I made an improvisation inspired by Rachel Ray's recipe and it turned out to be fun:
In iron pan with 2 Tbsp oil, on high heat, i brown the chicken sprinkled with grill seasoning. Add soy sauce, mix and move off the pan.
On medium heat cook leaks, onions, garlic and peppers, adding in that order. Cook 5 min total.
Add jicama and edamame, mix and cook 1 more minute.
Add back chicken, add the adobe and cumin and toss to coat.
Glaze the mixture with honey and maple syrup and turn off the heat.
Add in the cashew nuts and mix.
Before serving add chopped cilantro or parsley.
For New Years eve, we rode our bikes through Alameda's bay, people watching, talking, singing songs, drinking champagne. Before the nigh was over, we shared a mango and saw this fun window display:
For X-mas S got ice cream paydough set, which she loved. On the box there were some pretty pictures that could be made using the tools of the kit. S asked me to make this one, and i did:
For Hanukkah we went to Universal City Walk to watch lighting of the menorah:
On a random Monday, C and i took a day off and went to Disney:
With C's parents in town, and before X-Mas, i was lucky enough to book us a cottage at Crystal Cov
e. It was a wonderful weekend, with beautiful weather, a ton of food that we grilled on a brand new gas grill we purchased, and there was a X-mas tree on the beach: what could be more California than that?
The view from our patio:
In Feb we went to Lilia Downs concert:
And bought crazy shoes:
For valentines day i followed our tradition and made a fruit tart:
And, on the day when we bought S's furniture, we stopped at our local wine store and got the recommended wine that was cheap and yummy:
The last report card of the kid, from fall season:
Revisiting our wedding spot, with sunflower seeds and bloody mary, in November. Sitting on the top of the hill, talking about something silly, having a moment to ourselves - love and peace and C+J:
I made an improvisation inspired by Rachel Ray's recipe and it turned out to be fun:
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| Chipotle Cashew Chicken |
- 1.5 lbs boneless skinless thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 Tbsp Montreal Steak Seasoning blend by McCormick
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 4 gloves garlic, chopped
- 1 small red or orange bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1/2 onion thinly sliced
- 1 leek thinly sliced (just the light part)
- 1/2 small jicama, sliced - about 1/2 cup
- 3/4 cup edamame without shell, defrosted
- 4 teasp adobo sauce from "chipoltes in adobe"
- 1 teasp ground smoked cumin
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
In iron pan with 2 Tbsp oil, on high heat, i brown the chicken sprinkled with grill seasoning. Add soy sauce, mix and move off the pan.
On medium heat cook leaks, onions, garlic and peppers, adding in that order. Cook 5 min total.
Add jicama and edamame, mix and cook 1 more minute.
Add back chicken, add the adobe and cumin and toss to coat.
Glaze the mixture with honey and maple syrup and turn off the heat.
Add in the cashew nuts and mix.
Before serving add chopped cilantro or parsley.
For New Years eve, we rode our bikes through Alameda's bay, people watching, talking, singing songs, drinking champagne. Before the nigh was over, we shared a mango and saw this fun window display:
For X-mas S got ice cream paydough set, which she loved. On the box there were some pretty pictures that could be made using the tools of the kit. S asked me to make this one, and i did:
For Hanukkah we went to Universal City Walk to watch lighting of the menorah:
On a random Monday, C and i took a day off and went to Disney:
With C's parents in town, and before X-Mas, i was lucky enough to book us a cottage at Crystal Cov
e. It was a wonderful weekend, with beautiful weather, a ton of food that we grilled on a brand new gas grill we purchased, and there was a X-mas tree on the beach: what could be more California than that?
Revisiting our wedding spot, with sunflower seeds and bloody mary, in November. Sitting on the top of the hill, talking about something silly, having a moment to ourselves - love and peace and C+J:
my funny cats
Although having a family now automatically disqualifies me from the title of the Crazy Cat Lady, i still consider them to be my babies. To me everything they do is pretty much cute. Well, perhaps for the exception of Kuzya screaming in the morning for his wet food.
But here are some cat cuteness to remember:
Cats recently got fleas, no one knows how, considering the fact that they are inside cats:
This picture i would name "change of Guard". Xenka one day was exchanged for Oreo the next day.
And, a more recent capture, cats paying hide an seek? Or Kuzya just being annoying?
But here are some cat cuteness to remember:
Cats recently got fleas, no one knows how, considering the fact that they are inside cats:
This picture i would name "change of Guard". Xenka one day was exchanged for Oreo the next day.
And, a more recent capture, cats paying hide an seek? Or Kuzya just being annoying?
life is a party
We have been doing our best to celebrate everything: from our family memorable days to Jewish holidays, to back-in-the-'ol-country special days, to American standards. We talk about the occasion and try to do something a little special - a dessert or a sparkling juice at dinner, and mainly just wishes of "happy whatever" repeated throughout the day. Sometimes there are corresponding events in preschool that reinforce the festive mood, sometimes its Jewish festivities on our local streets. So, yesterday as we were driving home from school, S asked: what are we celebrating today? I asked her if she wanted to celebrate, she said "yes". As there was no special holiday, i told her that we were celebrating LIFE.
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| Purim & International Women's Day |
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
dinner time wovs
Some days are just easier than others. From one wise therapist i have learned to appreciate those days and, like a squirrel with a yummy nut, store those memories away for the "winter time" of thunder tantrums and whimpering sobs, in order to get through them without loosing my mind and temper. Based on my empirical evidence i knew that the hard times were coming: S operates on a 2 month mood cycle. But March is here and its not all bad. I find myself being more calm, more patient and more understanding about her difficulties. I think i am consuming some of the stored morsels of joy and appreciation. But i am also storing some away as well: almost every day S finds a moment to tell me that she loves me. It is gratifying to have her in the kitchen with me, helping to cook, listening to instructions, and tasting spices. It is gratifying to hear her speak with confidence some of the little things that she learned from me: about vitamins, about exercise, about helping others to be nicer.
She is learning the rules of life, and the progress is easily visible at this age.
She no longer needs help brushing teeth and no longer throws a cow about it. She no longer cries to be picked up and carried in the morning. She even got dressed all by herself last Friday, including the undershirt and a dress. The issue of the day right now is her setting the table, which we now insist on. Last week it started:
day 1: refusal, timeout, whiny and slow compliance
next day we ate out
day 2: refusal, timeout, failed chance, another timeout, we set the table and ate
day 3: refusal, timeout, whiny daddy-assisted compliance
day 4: compliance
then the weekend with meals away from home, and then on monday:
day 5: refusal, timeout (angry shouting against daddy), then she came out ok and set the table
So, it looks like may be the next time we can get it without the initial time out. 5 days to set the pattern? may be, we will track this further
She is learning the rules of life, and the progress is easily visible at this age.
She no longer needs help brushing teeth and no longer throws a cow about it. She no longer cries to be picked up and carried in the morning. She even got dressed all by herself last Friday, including the undershirt and a dress. The issue of the day right now is her setting the table, which we now insist on. Last week it started:
day 1: refusal, timeout, whiny and slow compliance
next day we ate out
day 2: refusal, timeout, failed chance, another timeout, we set the table and ate
day 3: refusal, timeout, whiny daddy-assisted compliance
day 4: compliance
then the weekend with meals away from home, and then on monday:
day 5: refusal, timeout (angry shouting against daddy), then she came out ok and set the table
So, it looks like may be the next time we can get it without the initial time out. 5 days to set the pattern? may be, we will track this further
Monday, March 5, 2012
building memories
Every day is an opportunity to build memories. These memories will sustain
us when we are old and will make our life colorful and eventful, and,
therefore, will have the prolonging effect.
I think that our family is very good at building memories, but perhaps not so great at recording them. I am trying to fix that every time i sit down to recollect and to write. Sometimes i am apprehensive because some recent memories may not connect into a story, and may not lend themselves to be put together in a coherent post. Right now i am deciding to try to jot down everything that i would like to recall later, in whatever form it happens to spill on the paper.
So, here it goes:
This was a week after President's day. After the shower, an off-white head towel was placed on S's head, for drying purposes. She looked in the mirror and said: "look, i am George Washington". Hahahahahaha! Yeap, sure enough that towel does look like an old off-white wig!
Feb 29 was the leap day of the leap year. C came home, and said "Happy leap day - this will not happen in the next 4 years". My heart was filled with joy -- when we are celebrating everything, we are celebrating LIFE itself!
And, another one, from a while back: S shared her knowledge with us, fall 2011: "boys have penis" .
And, March 3, we were talking about something, with Sari in the room. The word "testicle" was said, and prompted S to share: "i have a little penis there inside". Wow... no comment to that one. Mind you, when i was little i thought (and hoped) that mine would eventually grow...
I think that our family is very good at building memories, but perhaps not so great at recording them. I am trying to fix that every time i sit down to recollect and to write. Sometimes i am apprehensive because some recent memories may not connect into a story, and may not lend themselves to be put together in a coherent post. Right now i am deciding to try to jot down everything that i would like to recall later, in whatever form it happens to spill on the paper.
So, here it goes:
This was a week after President's day. After the shower, an off-white head towel was placed on S's head, for drying purposes. She looked in the mirror and said: "look, i am George Washington". Hahahahahaha! Yeap, sure enough that towel does look like an old off-white wig!
Feb 29 was the leap day of the leap year. C came home, and said "Happy leap day - this will not happen in the next 4 years". My heart was filled with joy -- when we are celebrating everything, we are celebrating LIFE itself!
And, another one, from a while back: S shared her knowledge with us, fall 2011: "boys have penis" .
And, March 3, we were talking about something, with Sari in the room. The word "testicle" was said, and prompted S to share: "i have a little penis there inside". Wow... no comment to that one. Mind you, when i was little i thought (and hoped) that mine would eventually grow...
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